Exhale To Evolve Yoga

05/14/2026

One of the things that’s surprised me most since becoming a yoga teacher is how often people come to class thinking they need to become “better at yoga”…

…but what they really need is a chance to slow down and reconnect with themselves for an hour.

Over time, I’ve watched people sleep better, breathe more deeply, feel less stiff, feel calmer during stressful weeks, and simply feel more at ease in their bodies and daily lives.

And no — most of those benefits have nothing to do with touching your toes 😊

A gentle yoga practice can help:
🌿 ease tension from stress and sitting
🌿 improve balance and mobility
🌿 support better breathing and sleep
🌿 create a sense of calm and steadiness
🌿 help you feel more connected to your body again

Many of us spend so much time taking care of everyone else, pushing through, or staying busy that we stop noticing how disconnected or tense we’ve become until we finally pause. I know that has been my history.

That’s one of the reasons I love teaching this style of yoga. It’s accessible, adaptable, and meant to support real people with real lives — not just the super flexible or super fit.

If you’ve ever thought:
“I’m not flexible enough for yoga”
or
“I’d probably be terrible at it”…

you’re honestly probably the kind of person I teach most often 💛

If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga someday, this is your gentle reminder that you don’t need to be flexible or experienced to begin. Group classes and private sessions available here in Merrill - live and online. 💛

05/06/2026

What if the best thing you could do for your health wasn't a pill, a procedure, or a gym membership — but something you could do gently, at any age, in your own body for yourself?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. As a local yoga teacher, I see people come in stiff, hurting, or just feeling like their body has started working against them. And I get it — that's a real thing that happens as we get busy with life.

But here's what I also know: it doesn't have to be that way.
The style of yoga I teach is called Viniyoga — and it's nothing like what you might picture. No pretzel poses. No hot rooms. No "keep up or get left behind." It's yoga that's adapted to you — your body, your age, your limitations. We typically do one pose at a time, often moving in and out of that pose a few times, then we may stay in the pose for a few breaths. It's easy to follow, and adaptations are available for adjusting to your body.

My own teachers are in their 60s and 70s. They move freely, they're not managing chronic pain, and they're sharp as a tack. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because they've been consistent with practices that have been refined and passed down for thousands of years — and that hold up beautifully in real, lived human experience.

Think of it like maintaining your car. You don't wait until the engine seizes — you do the regular upkeep. Yoga, done right, is preventative maintenance for your spine, your joints, your nervous system, and your stress levels.

If you're 40, 50, 60+ and curious — or if you're dealing with stiffness, back discomfort, or just feeling like you want to move better — I'd love to connect.

I offer group classes right here in Merrill as well as private sessions if you'd prefer a more personalized start. Feel free to message me, or just drop a question below. No pressure — just a neighbor who loves this stuff and wants to share it. 😊
— Ursa Abernathy, RYT-500 Exhale To Evolve Yoga | Merrill

05/02/2026

If you're in Lincoln County, there's a social connection challenge going on in May! Social connection is vital for our health and wellbeing, and there are some great ideas on this list. Find something that you love to do!

Even if you're not local, these are still great for everyone so I'd encourage you to take a look at the list!

It doesn't feel like we've fully recovered since 2020, this might be a good reminder of what is possible!

P.S -- coming to yoga class would fulfill the 'Go to a gym or take a fitness class' activity!

Join us for the 2nd Annual May Social Connection Challenge this !

The challenge is simple and encourages you to do activities with others. Complete 15 activities from our challenge form for a chance to win a $50 Chamber Gift Certificate. 20 will be raffled.

Pick up a challenge form at the Health Department, Social Services, T.B. Scott Free Library, Tomahawk Public Library or the Merrill and Tomahawk Chambers of Commerce.

Learn more about the challenge and download the form at https://bit.ly/LCConnectionChallenge26

04/30/2026

I enjoyed leading a breath-focused yoga session for the local high school on Saturday at their mental health awareness event. It was a great event and an important message!

As I shared at the event, yoga is actually for the mind -- to cease the chatter and create a quiet, one-pointed awareness -- and we use the body and breath to access the mind and achieve that state.
MHS Raise Your Voice

04/23/2026

I'm excited to be leading a brief yoga practice for this event! I love the positive messages that are painted in the local business windows by this group and the work they are doing for our teens!

Come join us on Sunday afternoon - 4/26/26 from 1pm - 3pm at the Merrill High School Jay Stadium!

04/23/2026

Two years ago today, I taught my first public yoga class here in Merrill. 🎉

Honestly? I didn't feel ready.

I'd spent over a decade in the field of personal development — doing my own work, working through old wounds, learning everything I could. I'd completed my initial 200hr yoga teacher training during COVID. But teaching felt like a different thing entirely.

It took a major life change to finally make me stop waiting.

Once the dust settled and life found its new shape, I knew I wanted to teach yoga — really teach it. So I reached out to River Flow Yoga in Wausau, and stumbled into a 300hr advanced training in viniyoga — a therapeutic, adaptive approach to yoga that's meant to meet you exactly where you are.

I was hooked. Not just because of the yoga, but because so much of what I'd been learning in personal development all those years had its roots right here, in this tradition. Nobody had ever told me that. I had to find it myself.

Six months in, I gathered a few friends and neighbors and taught a few classes in my living room. And then, two years ago today — I showed up and started to teach in public.

I've been showing up ever since. And what I've learned, both on and off the mat, is that you don't have to feel ready. You just have to show up.

If you've been waiting to feel like yourself again (and feel good in your body) — that's exactly what this work is for.

🎁 To celebrate, I'm giving away a $70 gift certificate — good for a 90-minute private session or a 5-class pass, and transferable, so if you know someone who needs to find their way back to themselves, you can pass it along. To enter, just comment below. I'll draw a winner in 72 hours!
Thank you, Merrill, for two beautiful years. 🙏

04/16/2026

These scholarships are for our front-line workers! If that's you, I definitely encourage you to take a look at what's available!

Blossom into Wellness🪻Spring Frontline Worker Scholarships available made possible through partnership with Healing Acres, Inc.! Upcoming April - May scholarship eligible events & series below. View more details here: www.5koshasyoga.com/events

In-Studio & Online 4-Week Series: Calm Under Pressure! Yoga & Stress Management First Responders | Wednesday, May 6th - Wednesday, May 27th 4:30-5:15 PM Anne’s Shanti Yoga

Online 4-Week Series: Mindfulness Meditation For Stress Reduction Beginners & Beyond | Thursday, May 7th - Thursday, May 28th 4-5 PM

In-Studio Event: Echoes of the Soul - A Vocal Sound Journey | Saturday, May 9th 10-11 AM Tune Me Studio

In-Studio Workshop: Lightness & Freedom in Daily Life – An Introduction to the Alexander Technique | Saturday, May 9th 1-4 PM Tune Me Studio

How To Apply For a Frontline Worker Scholarship, It’s simple!
Email Mary@5koshasyoga.com with your:
name
email
mobile phone number
occupation
employer
county you work in
type of 5 Koshas Yoga & Wellness service you are interested in above.

We’ll take it from there to get you linked with services! View more details here: https://www.5koshasyoga.com/special-events/frontline-worker-scholarships-for-services-at-5-koshas-yoga-wellness/

Questions? Email mary@5koshasyoga.com

04/09/2026

Here's a couple of pictures from me teaching during our recent training in Austin.
Evidently I need to work on smiling while I'm teaching? 😆

I was *really* concentrating!!

04/02/2026

April feels like a collective exhale. Spring is traditionally a time of rising energy in the body - and nature is giving us a pretty clear invitation right now.

The earth is stirring, the light is returning, and there's a quiet pull toward movement and renewal - and that's exactly where our practice is headed this month.

All of April, we'll be working with one sequence in our evening classes, centered on renewal and spring awakening -- building energy, opening the body after winter's contraction, and reconnecting with a state of aliveness.

There's something powerful about returning to the same sequence week after week. Just like our spring landscape, Layer by layer, things that weren't noticeable before begin to emerge. That's the practice working.

12/23/2025

All through December, my yoga classes have been exploring camel pose (Ustrasana).

I wasn’t sure how this would go—teaching the same sequence all month long, across all my classes. But it turned out to be a really meaningful experiment.

With repetition came more ease. I noticed small refinements I could make in the sequence and in teaching, and students seemed to settle more comfortably into the poses as their bodies became familiar with them. Each week felt like we dropped a little deeper into the practice.

Over the course of the month, camel became:
• a way to warm the body and open the heart during the darker, colder season
• an exploration of strength in the back of the body and flexibility in the front of the body
• a chance to gently move beyond fear of the unknown
• an opportunity to take in the energy of our practice and carry it with us—building stamina, resilience, and adaptability both on and off the mat

This month was a reminder that we don’t always need to do more to go deeper. Sometimes staying with something—long enough to listen—does the work.

Grateful for everyone who practiced with me this month.

12/10/2025

Hi Merrill neighbors,

I’m exploring offering an in-person 6-week “Yoga for Absolute Beginners” series this winter at Athletic Club and would love your input.

This would be a gentle, therapeutic-style introduction — perfect if you’re brand new to yoga, feeling inflexible, or wanting a slower, more supportive pace. We’ll focus on simple movement, calming breath practices, and practical tools to ease tension and regulate your nervous system.

And just to name it: *you can start yoga at any age*.
Beginning later in life can be incredibly supportive for balance, mobility, strength, joint comfort, and overall wellbeing. No flexibility or experience required.

Winter naturally invites us to slow down and restore, so this series is designed to meet you right where you are and help you feel better in your body.

Each weekly class would be about an hour, with clear guidance and options for every body.

Before I finalize the schedule, I’d love your thoughts:
• Would this be of interest to you?
• What days/times work best for you? I’m open to daytime, late afternoon, or early evening depending on community interest.
• And if a group series doesn’t feel like the right fit, would you prefer individual 1:1 sessions instead?

Thanks so much for helping us shape offerings that support our community this season. 💛